


so carelessly there, is it truth or dare?

by obsceme



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Steve Harrington, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Billy Hargrove, Idiots in Love, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Smoking, Truth or Dare, truth or dare.................but make it gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 20:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20377807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsceme/pseuds/obsceme
Summary: “I’ve got something good,” Steve says, after taking a pause to think. “Doyoucurrently have a crush?”“I do,” Billy answers. His voice is easy and cool. And he’sdefinitelystaring at Steve’s mouth now, his eyes still glassy and heavily lidded. “‘S all you again, Stevie.”Steve has no idea what to make of that. But his heart rate kicks up a bit, his palms starting to sweat.“You want to keep playing?” he asks finally. He’s desperately hoping the answer will be no, but something inside of him is screaming to keep going.“Absolutely.”(the boys get high, play truth or dare, and some secrets are revealed. shenanigans ensue.)





	so carelessly there, is it truth or dare?

**Author's Note:**

> title is from limit to your love by james blake.
> 
> this is just a fic originally posted to my [tumblr](https://hartigays.tumblr.com/post/186783115507) that i've decided to bring over here with just a few minor adjustments. literally nothing more than two high, pining boys playing truth or dare and being ridiculously adorable. unbeta'd as always :-)

Steve takes the joint Billy has handed to him, taking a long hit before passing it back.

“We should do something,” he comments. He’s laying on the floor, staring up at Billy’s ceiling. Billy sits on the couch in front of his fireplace, puffing on the joint.

It’s apparently Neil and Susan's wedding anniversary, so they’re both out of town for the weekend. This is actually the first time Steve’s ever been allowed to see the inside of Billy’s house. He’d honestly been surprised that Billy had called at all, asking if he was down to come smoke.

Kind of a stupid question, really. Steve is _ always _ down smoke.

“Well. What do you suggest, Stevie boy?” Billy asks. He’s sprawled out on the couch, one arm slung over the side.

Steve plucks the joint from his fingertips, bringing it to his lips and breathing in deep. “I dunno. We could play a game?”

Billy laughs a little, sitting up to peer at him over the side of the couch. “Are we fuckin’ six years old, Harrington?”

“Truth or dare is _ always _ fun. It’s a game for all ages.”

The look Billy gives him is a mixture of judgmental, and considering. He finally shrugs, taking the joint from Steve’s outstretched hand.

It’s starting to get late, and Neil hadn’t felt the need to keep the heat up very high while they’re gone, even if it’s the dead of winter. So Billy shuffles around, moving the couch and getting a fire going. By the time they make themselves comfortable at opposite ends of the couch, the joint is all but finished.

Steve is comfortably warm and high. He burrows deeper into the couch cushions, shooting Billy an appreciative smile.

“You go first, I guess,” Billy says after a moment.

He’s lounging casually at the other end of the couch. The fire casts a soft orange glow over Billy’s skin, making him look almost irresistibly warm and inviting. Steve clears his throat, looking away quickly.

“Okay. Truth or dare?” Steve starts, still staring at the fire.

“Hm. I guess I’ll go with truth.”

Steve pauses, thinking for a moment. Tries to work his way through the high, fuzzy state of his mind for a reasonable question. There’s a lot of things Steve wants to ask, but none of them would be appropriate, exactly. So he settles on something safe.

“What’s your biggest pet peeve?” he asks, finally pulling his eyes back to Billy. He finds the other boy staring right back, unbothered.

“Loud breathers,” Billy says easily. “My turn. Truth or dare?”

“Loud breathers?” Steve repeats, huffing out a laugh. “Interesting. Okay, I guess I’ll go with truth, too.”

“Do you currently have a crush on anyone?” Billy asks, almost immediately. He has an unreadable look on his face. Steve feels himself flush.

“Um. Yes?” he answers after a beat, his gaze flickering back over to the fire. “Okay, back to you. Truth or dare.”

Billy disregards his question, simply asking, “Who?”

“That’s not how it works,” Steve argues, rolling his eyes. Deflecting hard. “Truth. Or dare?”

“Fine,” Billy complains, making a face. “I’ll go with truth again.”

“What’s your guilty pleasure?”

Again, Billy answers without missing a beat. “Strawberry ice cream. You again, pretty boy. Truth or dare.”

“Well,” Steve says, giving Billy a knowing look. “Since I know you’re going to ask me who my crush is, I’m going with dare.”

“Fine by me. I dare you to tell me who your crush is.”

And okay, Steve hadn’t been expecting that. “That is _ so _ not fair.”

“Rules are rules. Gotta take the dare, or change your choice to truth,” Billy tells him, one brow arched. challenging.

Steve is starting to wish, just a little bit, that he hadn’t suggested this at all. He’d just been stupid and stoned, still is. Too relaxed and comfortable to think about the fact that he has way too many secrets to play a game that depends primarily on revealing them.

“Why are you so interested in who I like?” Steve asks, a challenge of his own.

“Why are you avoiding the question?”

Honestly, he can’t exactly argue with that. But he will anyway. “Because it’s not like you’d even know him. I mean - her. Jesus, the hell kind of weed did you get this time?”

“Same as always,” Billy tells him. His head is cocked to the side, curious. Steve wishes he could use his hand to wipe the smirk right off of his face. “But fine. Different dare. I dare you to tell me one of your deepest secrets.”

There are a lot of options that come to mind. The primary ones being _ I sometimes fight monsters _ and _ I think boys are just as cute as girls _ and _ sometimes I think no one is ever going to love me_.

Instead, Steve goes with, “okay. Okay, when I was eight, I melted my neighbor’s Barbie dolls. I was trying to see if they would melt faster than those little plastic soldiers. The little green ones, you know?”

“And how is this a deep secret?”

“_Because_,” Steve insists, “her family came around asking if I’d seen them. I lied and told them I’d seen one of the other neighbor kids messing around in their yard. They went to his house and started a big commotion when the kid denied ever being over there. Those families still have beef to this day.”

Billy stares at him for a moment, then tosses his head back, his whole body shaking as he laughs. When he sobers, he gives steve a crooked smile. “You’re evil, Harrington. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“I’m headed straight for Hell,” Steve agrees, grinning a little himself. They’re quiet for a moment, before Steve speaks again. “Back to you, Hargrove. Truth or dare?”

“I guess I’ll mix it up this time,” Billy says. “Dare.”

Steve hums thoughtfully, then settles on something he’s been curious about for a while. “I dare you to let me see your necklace.”

Billy blinks. “My necklace?”

“Yeah. The one you always wear.”

Another beat of silence. Then, Billy shrugs. Pushes himself up and shifts closer. Steve does the same, moving until their knees knock. Billy reaches into the collar of his hoodie, pulling out the necklace and moving to take it off.

Steve stops him. “You don’t have to. I just wanted to look at it for a second.”

He takes the pendant from between billy’s fingers. It’s in pristine condition; it practically shines in the firelight. 

Steve takes in all the details, running his thumb over the face of it. He’s pretty sure it’s the Virgin Mary, though he’s not exactly an expert in that area. Whatever it is, it’s simple, yet pretty. He admires it for another moment before he tucks it safely back into Billy’s sweatshirt. 

He’s always been curious about it. It’s a pretty design, and he’s never seen Billy without it on. Steve figures there’s some sort of story there. Wonders if Billy would ever let him hear it.

When he looks up, his breath catches a little. He’d forgotten they’d moved so close, and Billy’s face is dangerously close to Steve’s. So close that Steve can see every freckle on Billy’s nose. It makes his heart hammer in his chest, just a little bit.

“Truth or dare?” Billy asks. His voice is a low rumble, and Steve thinks he might be staring at his mouth.

But that’s crazy. Steve shakes his head a little, trying to snap himself out of it. He’s still high off his ass, so he can’t be sure he’s not just imagining things. In fact, he’s pretty sure he is. His mind is still cloudy and Billy is so close, he’s clearly just seeing things that aren’t there.

“Truth.”

“Does your crush go to school with us?” Billy asks, a small smile playing on his lips.

“This again? seriously?” Steve groans. Billy just looks at him expectantly. “Fine, Christ. Yes. Your turn.”

“Truth. Ask me something good.”

“I’ve got something good,” Steve says, after taking a pause to think. “Do _ you _ currently have a crush?”

“I do,” Billy answers. His voice is easy and cool. And he’s _ definitely _ staring at Steve’s mouth now, his eyes still glassy and heavily lidded. “‘S all you again, Stevie.”

Steve has no idea what to make of that. But his heart rate kicks up a bit, his palms starting to sweat.

“You want to keep playing?” he asks finally. He’s desperately hoping the answer will be no, but something inside of him is screaming to keep going.

“Absolutely.”

It’s the finality of it that throws Steve off. His head is spinning a bit, his high mind trying to catch up with the current situation.

“I’ll do another dare,” Steve answers. “Gotta keep it consistent, I guess.”

“Let me think,” Billy says, looking a little thoughtful. Then he gets a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I dare you to describe what your crush looks like.”

Steve chokes on his own spit, spluttering a bit. He has no idea what to say to that. He could always just lie, pick some random girl from one of his classes and use her description. But he has a feeling Billy would see right through that.

“I, um,” Steve stammers, his cheeks heating up. “H-She. _ She _ has um. Curly, uh - curly hair. Blue eyes.”

Billy keeps looking at him, his expression still open. Playful. He arches a brow. “And? Gotta give me more than that, Harrington.”

Steve is starting to wonder what Billy’s playing at, when it hits him. Billy is _ toying _ with him. Why? Steve isn’t sure, but he sighs and continues on anyway, kind of wanting to see where this leads. 

“Um, okay. She’s a little shorter than me. Feistier, too. She’s uh, she’s got freckles in cute places, you know? And she just got this tattoo recently. Really cool design.”

And now Steve knows he’s said way too much. His mouth snaps shut so quickly that his teeth clack together. But with the look Billy is giving him - something heated and intense - the pain that shoots up his jaw barely even registers.

“She sounds cute,” Billy decides after a moment.

“Uh. Yeah, she is. Yup.” Steve’s flush spreads from his cheeks all the way down his neck. “Back, um. Back to you. Truth or dare?”

“Dare. C’mon, do your worst.”

Steve is still trying to wrap his head around everything. He doesn’t have it in him to think too hard, choosing instead to just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “Same as my dare. Describe your crush.”

“Well,” Billy starts, staring directly into Steve’s eyes. “He’s tall. Taller than me. Dumber, too. But it’s cute. He’s got these big brown eyes, all doe-eyed and shit. Drives me nuts. And his hair? Fuckin’ hell. Never seen someone with so much hair in my life. But it’s perfect, all the time. I dunno how he does it. And his mouth, fuck. I would look at it all goddamn day if I could.”

His brain short circuits. That’s the best way Steve can describe what happens to him at that moment. All he manages to squeak out is a pathetic, “he?”

“That’s not how it works,” Billy says, imitating Steve from earlier. But his eyes are sparkling and he’s practically fucking beaming like the sun. “Truth or dare?”

“I - it just - you just -” Steve stammers, tripping over his words.

“C’mon Steve. You gotta pick one.” This time, when Billy speaks, he’s a little breathless. His eyes are zeroed in on Steve’s mouth again. He sounds a little wrecked, like he’s hanging on the precipice of something.

“I…dare?”

“I dare you to kiss me,” Billy blurts, immediately.

Steve freezes, his eyes now locked with Billy’s. In his peripheral, he can see the rapid rise and fall of Billy’s chest. And then he’s leaning in - because, as his stoned brain reminds him, it _ is _ a dare, and he’s not about to pussy out now.

He’ll worry about the real reason he’s following through with this particular dare later.

For now, Steve just shifts forward, closing the distance between them. The first touch of his lips to Billy’s is like an electric shock, but pleasant. Billy gasps a little, seemingly involuntarily, one hand coming up to tangle in Steve’s hair.

The movement makes Steve feel a little bolder. Presses his lips to Billy’s firmly, insistently. Kisses Billy slowly at first, soft and tender. He feels the warmth of his high still rolling through him in waves, and combined with the feeling of Billy’s lips against his, he feels like he’s floating.

When Steve moves one of his hands, bringing it up to cup Billy’s jaw, Billy lets out what sounds like a soft whimper. And that has Steve deepening the kiss, his other hand threading through Billy’s curls and pulling him closer. 

He licks into Billy’s mouth, trying to memorize every square inch of him. In case he never gets to do this again, in case this is all he gets.

Steve breaks away from Billy’s lips. Trails a line of gentle kisses along the stubble of Billy’s jaw, up to his ear. He presses a sweet kiss to Billy’s earlobe, delighting in the shiver it elicits. Pulls the sensitive skin between his teeth, biting gently. Smiles when he hears that familiar sharp intake of breath, Billy’s hands moving to grab Steve’s shoulders, clinging to him tightly.

“_God_,” Billy sighs when Steve releases his skin from between his teeth, tucking himself into Billy’s neck. “I thought you were never going to do that.”

Steve pulls back and gapes at him. “Wait, hold on. You knew the whole time?”

“Duh. You’re shit at keeping secrets, Steve,” Billy says, huffing out an endearing laugh. “I knew you would never tell. Not without, you know. A little push.”

“You could’ve just _ said _ something.”

Billy gives him a coy smile. “But where’s the fun in that?”

Steve huffs out a small noise of exasperation. But before he can say anything, Billy’s lips are on his again. All the fight drains out of him at once and Steve melts at the touch, sighing happily.

He can whine at Billy any other time. Right now, all he wants to do is kiss the boy beneath him until he’s dizzy.

So that’s exactly what he does.

**Author's Note:**

> again, you can find me on tumblr at [hartigays](https://hartigays.tumblr.com/)


End file.
